Trimming machine



Dec. 2o, 1932. J, MCP, COOKE 1,891,257

`'I'RUVHVIINCI MACHINE I nve nTor John P1. Cooke byafwc M2M ATT ys.

Dec. 20, 1932. J. MGP. COOKE TRIMMING' MACHINE Filed oct. 18, 192e 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 lnvenor John N, Coohe MKM Af ys.

- l'. JOHN MCPHERSON COOKE, OE BEACHMONT, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSGNOB, T0 NICHOLAS f Patented Dec. 20, 1932 stieg W. MATHEY, OF LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS TRIMMING MACHINE Application lcdOctoberIS, 1928. Serial-No. 313,214.

This invention relates to trimming machines in general, and more particularly to the type. used in the manufactureof shoes. The embodimenty illustrated is especially adapted to trimming the lining from panels which have been previously cut in the shoeupper to form a design or fork any other purpose.

In the manufacture of shoes employing modern methods thetime factor is most important. One of the; important objects of this invention is to provide means` to speed up production.

Another object of the invention is to provide a trimming machine upon which accurate` Work may be done by anunskilled operat-or.

A; further object is to provide a machine WhichY Will trim the article-neatly and thoroughly in the most inaccessible places suchv as an acute angle corner which may be part of an intricate design.

A further object offthe invention'isto provide. a machine which Will trim smoothly all concave. or convex curves a feature Which is very important and one Which isv lacking in many types -of trimming machinery.

.A further object of theinvention isfto provide a machine in which the various, controlling mechanisms necessary to start, to execute, and to stop the trimming operation, may be operated from a single controlling element.

Other objects and featureswill moreA fully appear from the following description in connection with the accompanying' drawings and Will be particularly pointed outin thei claims.

in the drawings:

Fig. l isa view in elevation of the head of a machine looking from the left with av cover plate removed.

Fig. 2 isa vertical cross-section online 2,-2 Fig. 1.

F ig. 3 is a genera-l front elevation of a machine with tliepedestal partly brokenout.

Fig. 4 is adetailrview of a detachable guide.-

fraine Which constitutes part' of the head of a machine.V

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional vieW on line 5 5v Fig. 4.

Fig. Gis a detail.' perspective view showing the construction and relativepositions of the Werl; support, the cutter, andk cutter guard. Fig. 7 is a section onV lineZ-T Fig. looking down upon the Work support.

h ln order to present a full and clear concep-V tion of the invention av specific form ofA the machine is herein illustrated in Which the principles of the; invention are embodied. It is to be clearly understood'however thatthe invention isnot restrictedv to the particular embodiment shown.. lThev principles of the' invention may be adapted tov trimming'machines ofvarious4 types which are employed for Ltrimmingvarious articles or for various parts of a particular article.

There is ar broad iield of usefulness to ivhich the inventionV isada'pted. The' following are a few of the operations inv which the invention may be advantageously employed. Trimming the lining projecting from the top edge of the upper on a shoe after it has been lasted. Trimming all vainps 'after the completion off lasting operations or iiil trimming the lining-from panels Whichhave been previously cut in the shoe upper. It is in the latteroperation that the embodiment herein disclosed is employed.. The shoe designer quite frequently resortsY to panelling in order to produce a pleasing design. A. panel as it is known in the' art of making shoes is a portion of the upper which. isIcut away, but Which is entirely Within the borders of the shoe upper. The usual practice is to cut the panelsfbefore the various parts of the upper are incorporated into the shoe, and to sew the lining to the upper along the border, and close to the edge of the panel leaving the lin ing uncut at the panels. The Darts are-then assembled into a shoe leaving the operation of trimming out the sections of the liningl which obstruct the panels to be done on the type of machine' herein. disclosed.

The vembodiment chosen for the purposeof illustration comprises a main frame' l which includes the pedestal 2. A rigid bracket 3 is secured to. the pedestal. 2 Aand has at its end a hollow boss 4 in which is journaled the lower end of.. a horn or U-shaped member 5 to swing about a vertical anis which is in alignment with the center of Work Sib support 6 that is upon the free end of the horn. By reason of the ability of the horn to rotate, the operator may hold the work in any position without obstruction. This construction however necessitates a special design of work support which will hereinafter be more fully described.

The cutting mechanism comprises a vertically reciprocating knife 7 which. co-operates with an annular shaped shearing-blade 8 of hardened steel at the inner edge of the work support 6, thereby to sever the material. The center of the shear blade 8 coincides with the 'axis about which the horn swings and the knife 7 is positioned to engage the shearblade to properly perform the trimming opration at any position of the horn. The knife 7 must be curved slightly to conform to the curvature of the shear-blade as shown at 9. It will thus be seen that throughout the operation of trimming the shoe the knife may be acting at various points upon the shear-blade, but a proper shearing relation between the knife and the shear-blade is always maintained. In order to support the work which extends transversely across the annular-shaped blade 8, a disc shaped member 10 may be arranged and mounted resiliently within the shear-blade 8, said member 10 being of such a size that when the knife 7 is interposed between the disc 10 and the shear-blade 8 the disc will be slightly deflected to one side of the center. However, under usual conditions the disc member l0 may be omitted.

The main frame 1 is of usual form havin@l an overlranging portion 11 at the end or which is a recessed head 12 in which is located the major portion of the driving mechanism. It is essential to the proper functioning of the machine that the knife 7 be kept in accurate alignment with the annular shear-blade 8. Means are provided herein to accomplish this result at a minimum of cost. The knife 7 is secured to a cutter bar 13 of circular crosssection which has a bearing in a removable guide-frame 14 and in which it is vertically reciprocated by means which will be hereinafter set forth.

It is an accepted fact that a more ac urate bearing can be made to receive a slide of circular cross-section than one of any other shape and at much less expense. ln order to maintain the high efficiency of the bearing thus produced it is desirable that the bearing be made of some wear-resisting material other than the usual grade of iron out of which Athe frame of such machines are made. To provide the material for the bearings it is merely necessary to make the guide-frame out of wear-resisting material and machine the bearing directly therein. A more expensive material may be used therefore out of which to make this relatively light section of the frame. Furthermore this smal section of the frame may be made at a different establishment than that in which the rest of the machine is made in which highly developed special machinery may turn them out in large quantities and at a greatly reduced cost. At any rate this section of the frame which constitutes the heart of the machine` being of a compartaively small and easily handled character, may be constructe-.-L upon a jig or special machine that is relativelyv light and inexpensive and at the same time such special machine will be capable of maintaining a high degree of accuracy in the finished product. rlhis guide-frame may be fastened to the head 12 in any suitable way as by screws l5.

(jo-operating with the cutter is a cutter guard 16 which serves as both a guard to prevent injury to the operator and also as a guide to the operator to follow the edge of the work as .it fed to the cutter. This cutter guard is mounted on a supporting bar 17 ournaledfin the guide-frame 1i and parallel to the cutter bar 13 and in such a manner that it may have longitudinal movement therein. Extending' at right angles from and secured to the bar 17 near its upper end is a stud 18 which passes through a vertical slot 19 in the guide-frame 14. A compression spring 20 is seated at one end in a recess 21 in the guideframe and bears at its other end upon the upper end of the bar 17 tending normally to press the bar downwardly. A manually operable lever 22 is pivoted upon the head 1Q at 23 and extends beneath the stud 18 and is limited in its downward movement under the action of the spring 2O by an adjustable stop screw Q4. The guard 1G may therefore be set at any desired height above the work support by adjusting the stop screw 24. By means of the hand lever 22 the guard may be raised by the operator to avoid any obstruction on the work af; it is fed past the cutter after which the spring 2O will act to restore the guard to its adjusted position.

The cutter bar may be reciprocated in any manner but is herein shown as operated from an eccentric 25 upon a drive shaft 26 journaled horizontally in the main frame. The shaft 26 may be directly connected to an electric motor er driven from a belt upon a pulley 27 or in any other suitable manner. The motion of the eccentric 26 is transmitted. to the cutter bar in a novel manner. )in eccentric strap |28 encircles the eccentric and has a depending arm 29 in the end of which is a cylindrical bearing 30 which receives a stud shaft 31 projecting from a driving block 32 which loof-ely mounted upon the cutter bar 13. The driving block 3Q has a projection 33 which eX- tends into and has a running fit in a vertical slot Sel iu the guide-frame 14e. The driving block is 'anus free to have a vertical movement upon the cutter bar 13 but is prevented from rotation thereupon by the projection 33 nearest which is confined to the slot. 34.v rllo'. reducefriction atl the: driving'point an antiffriction bearing 35 L is employed between the. eccentric and. theeccentric strap..

lDuring the operation of the machine the shaft 26 isrotating continuously and reciprocates lthe driving block32'by means ofthe` ec centric strap.4 Fixed. rigidly to the cutter. bar lasby the set screws is a block 86 which has a horizontal projection 37 which extendsinto'` and has a runningfit. in a vertical slot38 in the main. frameV 12. The cutter bar and cutterare thereby held positively against ro.-

tation. Pivoted upon the block 36at 39-is ai clutching: lever 40. One arm. of; the lever 40 extends downwardly and hasupon itsV end; a lip 41; adaptedI to engage the lower edge oi'- the projection upon` the' driving; blockv 82'..

i which in turn i's-pivoted upon the main frame;

at 47 and is connected at its otherv endV to a foot pedal 48 by a link 49. A slot 50 is provided in the main 'frame in which the lever 46 moves. It will thus be seen that when the forward: end of the'lever 46 is raised, as'-v by depressing the foot pedal 48, that it willA act,` first, to rockA the clutching lever 40 thus disconnecting` the block 36 fromr the driving block 82; and, second, to raise the block 36 and therewith the cutter bar.

As shown in thedrawings the parts are in;

position to operate the cutter and to accom-v plislrthe trimming'operation.. Ifit is desired to stop the trimming operation the operator steps on thel foot pedal 48 whichu rocks the lever 46about its pivot 47. and brings it into engagement with theV arm 45 of the lever40 whichy results in rockingl the lever 40 about its pivot and withdrawing the-lip 41 from itsengagement with the projection 33 on the driving block 32 and thus dise-nga,f 1es'the*driv-Y ing block from the cutter bar.. The horizontal projection 37 of the block 36 is alsoin the path of the lever 46 and upon further'move ment of the latter the projection 87 is engaged and raised thus raising the cutter bar and the cutter. The machine is now in condition to enable the operator to start anew cutting op eration or if he desires to cutout apanel-it is convenient to also raise the cutter guard. Means are provided to accomplishV this by further actuation of the foot pedal 48. At the lower end of the cutter bar 18 la. short' stud 51 projects horizontally in such` position that upon a predetermined upward movement ofthe cutter bar 13y it will engage a collar. 52 fixed to the cutter guard supporting bar 17 and: up oni further increment. ofthe cutter bar the cutter.` guardi will be elevated: thus providingclearanceto placetheshoe or other article in position to. trimout a. panel or. any other portion of thework.

order, ton startr the; machine and. restore thepartsf to trimming position it is merely necessary to. release the pressure upon thev iioot pedal and a compression spring 53 act ing: upon the block' 36 will, lower the block' until the shoulder 44 thereon engagesthe constantly moving driving blockA 32. As the pressure on the foot pedal isentirely released the leverf 40. will be free to rotateunderthe influence ofy the spring 42 which will'v cause; the lip 41 tov re-engage the projection 33 on. the driving` block 32', thus clutchingA the driv ing: means tothe cutter bar. As; the. cutter bar' lowered` the cutter guardi supporting bar 17 ,under the actionr of thespring 20, restores thecutter guardto its proper position and the machine is then ready to assume its trimming operation.

It; will be noted that the variouscontrol.- ling operations are accomplished while the. drive shaft is constantly rotated at high speed. Asa consequence of thisfthe operator may start,.stop and controlthe machine without' the necessity of starting or stopping the driving; motor orl manipulating whatever sourcel of power that may be employedto drive themachinef. The design of the clutchingmeclianismis such that the cutter maybe instantly accurately and smoothly* thrownl into andV out of operation. without. excessivewear'or strain upon the parts. Furthermore the cutter guard may be. thrown int-o and out ofpositionat any time regardless of whether thefcutter is operating or not; Since the cut-V ter guard performs the doublek purpose of guarding the operator against injury' and" guiding the work it must be held inaccurate alignment with. the cutter.. The stud 18 which passesthrough the vertical slot'19' pro-- vides thev necessary stability for: the cutter guard;

@ne of the mostv valuable refinements of themachine is the higheiiiciency of theguiding means for the cutter bar. As" above pointed out the-bearing. for theV cutter' bar: is. very accurately fitted and designed to resist wear. This construction combined with the positive means of preventing rotation, of the bar about its vertical axis insures that'the cutter will be guided with absolute' accuracy.

Havin g; thus described.. the invention', what is claimed as new, and desired to be secured by Letters Patent, is.:

1. An edge trimming machine comprising a frame, a work support, a cutter-'bar of circular cross-section. a cutter mounted thereon, a. guide block rigid with the bar and guided Vin lthel frame thereby to' prevent rotation of the bar about its longitudinal axis,` a collar loosely mounted upon the cutter bar and guided in the frame to prevent rotation thereof about the bar, driving means acting to reciprocate the collar and means to detachably connect said collar to said cutter bar thereby to reciprocate the same.

2. An edge trimming machine comprising a main frame having a projecting head, a removable guide-traine ot wear-resisting material secured to said head, a cutter bar mounted for reciprocation in said guideframe,a cutter mounted on the cutter bar, a bracket projecting from said main frame, a work support swivelly secured to said bracket, an annular shear-blade mounted on said work support and disposed in cooperative relation to said cutter, said work support being rotatable about an axis concentric with the curvature ot said annular shearblade, driving means in the main frame to reciprocate the cutter bar, and means detachably to connect the cutter bar to the driving means.

8. An edge trimming machine comprising a main frame having a projecting head, a removable guide-frame of wear-resisting material secured to said head, a cutter bar mounted for reciprocation in said guide frame, a cutter mounted on the cutter bar, a cutter guard, a supporting bar mounted in said guide-trame upon one end ot which is mounted the cutter guard adjacent to the cutter, a bracket projecting from said main frame, a work support swivelly secured to said bracket, an annular shear-blade mounted on said work support and disposed in cooperative relation to said cutter, said work support being rotatable about an axis concentric with the curvature of said annular shear-blade, driving means in the main frame to reciprocate the cutter bar, and means detachably to connect the cutter bar to the driving means.

Ll. A machine of the character described comprising a frame, a cutter bar, a cutter mounted thereon, a guide block rigid with said bar and slidably mounted in said trame, a collar loosely mounted about said cutter bar and slidable in said frame, driving means connected to said collar for reciprocating the same, and releasable clutching means carried by said guide block for detachably connecting said collar and cutter bar, whereby said cutter may be instantly thrown into or out of operation.

5. A machine ot the character described comprising a main frame having a laterally projecting recessed head` a removable guidefranie of wear-resisting material disposed in the recessed portion of said head, a cutter bar slidably mounted in said guide-frame, a cutter carried by said bar, a guide block rigid with said cutter bar and slidable therewith, a collar slidably mounted about said cutter bar, driving mechanism connected to said collar ror reciprocating the same, and releasable clutching means carried by said guide block for detachably connecting said collar and cutter bar, whereby said cutter may be instantly thrown into or out of operation.

G. A trimming machine of the class described comprising a main trame having a recessed head, a removable guide-frame secured in said head, spaced bearings in the guidetrame, a cutter bar mounted in the spaced bearings of the guide-trame, a cutter secured to said cutter bar, a lined bracket projecting from said main trame and spaced from said head, a. work support disposed below the head of the main frame, an annular shear blade mounted on said work support and disposed in co pera-.tive relation to said cutter, said work support being swivelly secured to said bracket and rotatable about an axis concentric with the curvature of the annular shear blade, a drive shaft in said trame for reciprocedting` the cutterbar, and releasable means detachably connecting the cutter bar and the drive shaft.

7. A trimming machine 01"' the class described comprising a main frame having a recessed head, a removable guide-trame of wear-resisting material secured in said head, spaced bearings in the guide-frame, a cutter bar mounted in the spaced bearings of the guide-trame, a cutter secured to said cutter bar, a lined bracket secured to the main trame and in spaced alignment with the head oi the frame, a U-shaped member swivelly secured to said bracket, a work support secured to the free end of' said member, an annular shear blade mounted on said work support and so disposed that its cutting edge registers with that of the cutter, said work support and U-shaped member being rotatable about an aXis concentric with the curvature of said annular shear blade, a drive shaft in the main trame for actuating` the cutter bar, and releasable means detachably connecting the cutter bar and drive shaft.

8. A trimming machine of the class described comprising in combination a reciprocating cutter bar, a cutter secured to said cutter bar, a work support, an annular shear blade mounted on the work support so that the cutting edge of the cutter registers with that of the shear blade, said work support bcing rotatable aboutl an axis concentric with the curvature oi the annular shear blade` a drive shaft, and transmission mechanism associated with the drive shaft and cutter bar for reciprocating the latter, said mechanism comprising a rigid member disposed transversely of the cutter bar and ri ,Qidly secured thereto, a movable abutment engageable with the rigid member, means carried by the latter member urging the abutment into engagement with the rigid member, and means connected with the drive shaft for imparting a reciprocatory motion to the movable abutment thereby to reciprocate the cutter bar.

9. A trimming machine of the class described comprising in combination a reciprocating cutter bar, a cutter secured to said cut-ter bar, a Work support, an annular shear' blade mounted on the Work support so that the cutting edge of the cutter registers with that of the shear blade, said Work support being rotatable about an axis concentric with the curvature of the annular shear blade, a drive shaft, and disengageable transmission mechanism associated With the drive shaft and cutter bar for reciprocating the latter, said mechanism comprising a rigid member disposed transversely of the cutter bar and afiixed thereto, a movable abutment engageable with the rigid member, releasable means carried by the latter member urging the abutment into engagement with the rigid member, means associated with the drive shaft for imparting a. reciprocatory motion to the movable abutment thereby to reciprocate the cutter bar, and means engageable successively With the releasable means and With the rigid member for releasing the abutment and for raising the cutter bar.

ln testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this speciication.

JOHN MGPHERSON COOKE. 

